Agriculture minister Dith Tina addresses the closing ceremony. MAFF
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina has instructed the first batch of newly-minted commune agricultural officials to ensure they are fully prepared to support Cambodian farmers.
He added that in order to resolve any challenges facing farmers, they will need to have an excellent understanding of modern agricultural and economic policy and theory. He also reminded them of the importance of gaining the trust of the farming communities they will be deployed to.
His remarks were delivered at the February 16 closing ceremony of an orientation training for the initial group of 250 officials, held at the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) in Phnom Penh. They are set to be deployed to 89 communes in seven provinces.
An agriculture ministry social media post said Tina recommended that the new officials make sure they have a clear understanding of the government’s priority agriculture policies, which focus on food security, economic growth and environmental sustainability.
“Each of you must have a firm grasp of agricultural and economic techniques, and share them with the farmers. As civil servants, we are responsible for serving the public, so all of you have to increase your knowledge and skills and cooperate closely with all of the relevant units. For your work to be effective, you must gain the trust of the farmers,” he added.
The post explained that following the deployment of the initial group of 250, another batch of 800 will be posted later this year. In 2025, an additional 550 will be deployed, providing a total of 1,600 agricultural commune officials. They will provide support to over 1,500 communes throughout the Kingdom.
“We have to make an effort to ensure that farmers everywhere receive the technical support they need. We also need to facilitate capital to assist them,” added Tina.
He also met with representatives of Agri Smart Innovation on February 16 to examine the company’s machinery which serves the agricultural sector.
The minister recommended that the firm conduct additional studies of into new innovations that could support the cultivation of crops identified for their export potential by the ministry, including rice and cashews.
He also instructed the General Directorate of Agriculture to monitor engineering work at the grassroots level, and increase farmers’ understanding of technology that can help them resolve any issues they might face.
“Mechanical engineering plays an important role in saving farmers time and money. We should do everything possible to reduce their production costs as effectively as we can,” he said.
